What would happen if you didn't have your local patch? (1 Viewer)

[RockyRacoon]

I'll post what I saw for the last two days!

11/05/04
Whitethroat, singing
Nice views of a singing Wren
Two Chiffchaffs singing to each other, they were about 20 metres away from each other!
Kestrel, attacked by a Crow

12/05/04
Whitethroat, singing
Linnet performed a song flight

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I very much agree with you Jake. The great thing about watching a patch is that just being out birding is an end in itself. You're not birding to try and see particular species or to get ticks, you're just birding because being out birding is a great thing to do whatever you end up seeing.

 

[Karl J]

Off the top of my head, these are the ones i've only seen on my local patch : grey-male Hen Harrier, Ring Ouzel, Whimbrel, American Golden Plover, Snow Bunting, Wood Sandpiper, Water Rail.

Think I'd be a bit lost without it.

 

[Karl J]

Hmmm .. unfortunately i seem to have put my books / lists somewhere so very safe i can't find them now, so can't look this up. But after doing a bit of thinking today i've come up with several more i've never seen anywhere else ...

Little Stint
Barnacle Geese
Red-necked Grebe
Med. Gull
Little Tern
Black Tern
Sandwich Tern
Arctic Skua
Rock Pipit
Wheatear
Olive-backed Pipit
Pallas Warbler
..... the last 2 courtesy of a twitch which i believe is a bit of an annual event at Yarmouth cemetary

Guess my lists would be considerably smaller if i didn't have a local patch !

 

[mountain man]

So can it get boring?

Hi Jake,

I think you've misunderstood me. Watching birds is never boring, but what I find boring is spending most of my time sat in a car with people I don't always get on with (girlfriend excluded) or being sat at motorway service stations.

However, finally seeing that Harlequin Duck or Penduline Tit tends to make up for it all.

I'd still love a really good patch though.

 

[RockyRacoon]

Oh, I'm very sorry! Sorry!

 

[Jane Turner]

I didn't realise that China was nearer to you than Frodsham, Jane!

That was work induced travel... not birding!

 

[John o'Sullivan]

i've been watching my local patch for 13 years and i've found and seen a number of birds there that no other birders have managed to get onto e.g. ring billed, iceland gull, smew, snow bunting, none of them have been brit ticks however. The two that got away, that would have been, were a black kite that I saw a mile away heading towards my patch (where I obviously drove to straight away) no luck however- the M4 proved more attractive I think. The second a black throated thrush that I saw for about 20 seconds not long enough to clinch I.D.

 

[Neil]

I also resent the time spent travelling to another good patch. In my case it's about a 4 hour round trip to get far enough away from Sydney for something new. The special birds seen only in my Patch are -
little bittern
baillon's crake
latham's snipe
double-banded plover
grey goshawk
shining bronze cuckoo
but , perhaps even more importantly, I wouldn't see all the behaviours and nesting successes year on year which enable me to get more intimate photographs. I love my patch and I'm going to spend the next 5 days there to make up for my neglect over the last 2 weeks. Neil

 

[christineredgate]

I very much agree with you Jake. The great thing about watching a patch is that just being out birding is an end in itself. You're not birding to try and see particular species or to get ticks, you're just birding because being out birding is a great thing to do whatever you end up seeing.

Andrew,you have it in a nutshell .When there have been the threads with the discussions,twitching re Birdwatching,I have always tried to say that the joys of Birdwatching is simply doing just that,watching the birds,following their little habits and routines.People will come into the Hide,or I will meet them on the sea defences,and they invariably will say,"Have you see anything interesting",whereupon I reply,"well they are all interesting.".It gets me a funny look,obviously if there is a bird which is unusual or does not often visit,I will mention it,and it is good to see birds which one does not often come across,all birds fascinate me.